This week focused on the implementation of the Phone Restriction in the new BC Ministry of Education guidelines. The use of phones varies from school to school and district to district; teachers may even decide to implement different standards on a classroom basis. The rise of phone use for the younger generation has gone from a recreational amount to an abuse of their time. Ultimately, students have a constant distraction in their pocket, and the Ministry of Education felt they needed to change that.
At the grade level of 4-7, students may or may not have their own device depending on their guardian’s choices. With that in mind, some students may be distracted from time to time by a notification coming through a device in their pocket. Although devices have a negative connotation with their use during school time, they can also be used as tools in their education development.
Engaging in online based games as a class such as Kahoot, Science Journal, and computer science online platforms can assist students in their learning journey. As pairs or individuals there are also online forums, such as Coolmathgames, that may also help with the understanding of topics that might seem tedious. Overall, going into teaching for myself, I do not think the strict banning of cellphones solves the issue in front of us, if anything, teachers need to build relationships with students that can navigate through tough conversations, such as appropriate phone use.
In terms utilizing Science Journal, I believe it may be a helpful tool for the age range that I would like to teach, especially if done as a class. Some of the activities might be too difficult to do individually or in pairs, meaning that there is a high chance of distraction while students have tablets and/or devices out.
Below is the activity that I worked through. I found this activity to be appropriate for the age range that I would like to teach, as a class or as individuals.
